1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ice removal or prevention, and more particularly to pulsed electrothermal de-icing and anti-icing systems such as for aircraft.
2. Description of Related Art
A variety of devices and methods are known for removing ice from structures such as aircraft components. Examples include electrical heating systems for melting ice from the surface of structures such as aircraft wings and propellers. Directly heating aircraft surfaces can require considerable electrical energy. One solution to this problem is pulse electrothermal de-icing, in which a power supply applies a high-power heating pulse to an interface between ice and the structure where ice must be removed, such as an aircraft wing. Pulse heating on the surface in this manner can melt a thin layer of the ice, and forces such as gravity or aerodynamic forces can then remove the ice layer from the surface. The combination of pulse electrothermal heating and aerodynamic or other forces can provide considerable power savings over traditional constant heating type systems. And since ice removed by pulse electrothermal de-icing tends to be removed in layers or chunks, there is considerably less ice-run back than in non-pulsed systems. Ice-run back refers to the phenomenon of ice melt refreezing in a new location on the surface, for example the unheated surface aft of a traditional heater in an aircraft wing.
Such conventional methods and systems have generally been considered satisfactory for their intended purpose. However, there is continuing need in the art for a de-icing that allows for improved thermal efficiency. There also remains a need in the art for such systems and methods that are easy to make and use. The present invention provides a solution for these problems.